Marketing From the Heart, Without Losing Your Head

Column by Vickie Thomas

What do prospects really want? On the surface, it's easy to think that they want your product or service. Think broader. Look deeper.

Prospects today are looking for support in their decision making without the other party being attached to the outcome of yes or no. They want to look good in the performance of their jobs. They want their jobs and lives to be easier. They want to have trusted members on their resource team. And, finally, they want people who are in it with them, who feel their pain as well as understand and relate to their concerns.

Trust

Marketing from the heart is not a new concept but it is one that is getting more attention these days. The effects of the economy have made people more cautious. They are taking longer to make decisions. They are not as eager to part with money or funds they are responsible for. Trust has become a huge decisive factor.

How then do you as a businessperson, marketing your product or service, get a prospect to trust you, especially when you are at the beginning of a relationship? By identifying and connecting with them. The answer appears to be simple but the reality is that it requires much more effort and authenticity on your part.

When you truly connect with someone from the heart, it is like sitting right beside them. It is caring enough to take the time to ask thoughtful questions, listen intently and see past the surface to what's inside. It is being open to feeling the prospect's pain. This is about setting the ego aside and relating in an authentic way.

Give vs. Sell

The old meaning of the word "sell" was "to give." When you market from the heart you focus on the needs of your prospects. You set aside your agenda and replace it with a genuine desire for helping the other person. Coming from a place of integrity, you then become a messenger, a facilitator, a giver. You are not attached to the outcome but rather support the prospect in making the best decision for them.

A recent survey shows that people who sell from a relationship approach that is focused on connection and authenticity increase their closing ratio by 23 percent. What is equally important but more impactful long term is that referrals from new customers, recipients of ‘heart marketing', are 103 percent greater. Why? The trust factor. When people trust you, they want to stay with you. As you give to them and invest in their success, they invest in yours. Therefore, marketing from the heart is not a soft sell. It is good for your business.

Marketing from the heart is also good for you. When we place ourselves in the mode of giving and helping others, we are making a difference in the world. That is something we internalize and find personally satisfying. It has a significant impact on how we go about living our day-to-day lives and interacting with others.

Using Your Head

Marketing from the heart alone is not enough. To support a viable business and deliver a well rounded solution to prospects and customers, you also have to use your head. Marketing from the head encompasses your business savvy, knowledge, creativity, planning and delivery. These are all reasons that support the prospect's decision to move forward. It reinforces that they have chosen the right person, the right company, to serve their product or service needs.

Mastering Heart and Head Marketing

For business owners mastering heart and head marketing can have a powerful impact. Marketing from your heart keeps you true to yourself while connecting to and being truthful with prospects. Marketing from your head allows you to share information that will help your prospect make the best decision. It also provides the solution, value, strategy and delivery to turn the prospect into a long-term customer.

The following six keys summarize heart and head marketing:

Connect: Feel their pain

Be Authentic

Listen: With your heart and head

Instill Trust

Give: Offer value and solutions

Detach from the Outcome: Support the prospect in making the decision that is best for them.

When you align your heart and head in marketing, you are able to turn prospects into customers faster and better serve them, taking your customers and your business to greater levels of success.